Fights and Finishes
by angel on wings
Summary: It was too late to get her friends back. Repton had killed all of them in one go. She should have gone with them. Only she was left. This is the story behind the Interceptor's fall, why Starling is a lone wolf and why she would fight to the finish.


**Fights and Finishes**

**I DO NOT OWN STORM HAWKS!**

It was way too early in the morning. Starling had been having so many sleepless nights. She looked at the clock in her room and groaned.

"Only three a.m? Why can't I get any sleep these days?"

She wanted to get up but her body wouldn't let her. She rolled off her bed and landed on the floor.

"Oww."

She put on her Interceptor uniform and got herself some breakfast. When she opened the fridge, she found it half empty.

"Ugh. Jake must have emptied out the fridge. Again."

She grabbed an apple, turned around and shut the door with her foot.

She walked out into the still dark morning and leaned against the flagpole on Terra Mesa. She looked up and stared at the flag with the Interceptor's insignia on it. She smirked and started eating her apple.

It was a cool night and the air was whistling through her messy hair. It was a still night. Barely any noise around Atmos. If only she could have a night where she could just shut her eyes and fall asleep like the rest of Atmos. Her team mates had been noticing the dark rings around her eyes.

Crystal would always ask, "Starling, are you sure you don't want to stay in today? You don't look so great."

Starling would always she was fine, although sometimes, she would almost fall off her skimmer falling asleep.

Looking out at the dark sky, she rubbed her eyes.

Although she did want to fall asleep sometimes, she had to keep her squadron in line. She was like the mother to their little family.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Caleb.

"Hey…Caleb."

He rubbed his eyes.

"Starling, what are you doing up so early?"

"Just wanted some fresh air."

He sat down beside her.

"Are you having another one of those sleepless nights again?"

Starling just shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't let her team worry about her.

Caleb nudged her in the ribs.

"Come on Starling. Tell me. Don't be a butt."

"Why don't you stop being a butt and go back to bed?"

"Because, Starling. We're all worried about you. Not getting enough sleep will make you weak and stagger behind the team."

"Caleb, I'm strong. Don't worry about me."

"Starling, you have to try and get some sleep. For the team, okay?"

"I'll try but I can't guarantee Caleb. By the way, what are YOU doing up?"

He said, "I woke up and got hungry and saw you outside."

She smiled, "You're just as bad as Jake, and…thanks for looking out for me."

Caleb replied, "It's the least I can do. You're always looking out for us."

He left her.

Starling looked back, and out over the cliff. She saw four dark shadows in the distance and a glint of yellow. She assumed it was just a few ships out on an early morning test run.

She tossed the apple core over the edge into the wastelands. She got up, and started to walk away. Suddenly, she heard a whistling of something behind her, and from the corner of her eye, saw a yellow flash that crashed into the terra and made it shake. They were under attack.

She ran into the house and saw Caleb trying to scarf down some chocolate cake.

She smacked it out of his hand and said, "We're under attack! Get your weapons and try to hold them off while I get Crystal and Jake."

Caleb and Starling both ran in different directions. Starling shook Crystal.

"Crystal get into your uniform and to your ride. We're under attack."

When Starling said "under attack" Cyrstal was wide awake and getting her gear together.

"Go help Caleb hold off the attackers."

"Okay."

Starling ran off and got Jake. "Jake, get up. We're under attack."

He immediately got up and gathered his gear. When Starling left, he put on his armour, and got to his ride.

When everyone was assembled, Starling asked Caleb, "Who's our attacker?"

"More like attackers. It's the Raptors."

Crystal said, "They're not like the Dark Ace. We should be able to beat them."

Starling smiled. Her team had such optimism.

She yelled, "Let's fly team!"

They took to the skies.

Repton said, "Alright boysss. Let's make Cyclonis proud and take over Terra Mesa."

The Interceptors came face to face with the Raptor lizards.

Jake said, "State your business."

"We're taking over this terra for Master Cycloniss."

Starling said, "Not a chance."

She fired her hanzo cyrstal powered nunchuks at Repton and his crew.

Automatically, Leugey fell off of his skimmer. He got scared and swerved his skimmer, toppling it over. Three against four? What are the odds?

Repton scowled.

The Interceptors split up. Starling would take Repton, Crystal would take Hoerk, Caleb and Jake would take Spitz.

Spitz, realizing that two of the guys were after him, started fleeing with his skimmer, when Jake cut him off in front.

"In a rush are we? How about we quicken the trip?"

Caleb flew upside down and sliced the wings of the skimmer but Spitz landed on Jake's skimmer and sliced his arm, causing a huge cut which started bleeding buckets. Jake quickly punched Spitz off of his skimmer into the wastelands.

Caleb drove up beside Jake and asked, "You okay bud?"

Jake grimaced but put on a smile and said, "Yeah. Let's see if Crystal needs help." He tore off the sleeve of his uniform and quickly bandaged up the gash to stop the bleeding.

Hoerk was too much of a match for Crystal. He swerved his skimmer up, down and around to confuse her. Crystal looked around dazedly and said to herself, "Come on…slow down."

She took out an Icer crystal and blindly aimed at nothing. She was shooting at air and not at the Raptor. When Hoerk finally slowed down he sneered, "Too quick for you Interceptor?"

When he blinked and opened his eyes, Crystal was gone. Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Not a chance."

Hoerk quickly spun around and put his sword up against Crystal's. Trying to push her back and off his skimmer.

Caleb yelled, "Need some help Crystal?"

She stammered, "N…no I'm fine."

Caleb and Jake drove up in case Crystal really needed some back up.

Hoerk drove Crystal back to the edge of his skimmer's wing.

She was staggering for balance but used all her might to push Hoerk back so she could get some ground.

She clashed her sword against his and you could see the sparks igniting. Caleb and Jake looked worriedly at each other.

Crystal gritted her teeth and said, "Back off Raptor. This is our terra."

"Not if we kill you and THEN get your terra."

Crystal stood stock still which was a big mistake.

Hoerk pushed her off the edge of his skimmer and she fell. Down. Down into the wastelands.

Crystal pounded the insignia on her uniform that would deploy the parachute but it wouldn't deploy. She pounded harder and harder. Jake saw her falling quicker and quicker. He dove down after her and caught her on the back of his skimmer.

She stopped screaming and started hyperventilating.

"Thanks Jake."

"Going to take a bath in the lava, are we?"

"Shut up."

After Jake dove down after Crystal, Hoerk said, "Want a one way trip to the wastelands too boy?"

Caleb just leaned back on his skimmer and said, "Nope. Interceptors don't go down that easily. But you will."

"What?"

There was a whiz of blue light and Hoerk turned to see Crystal with her sword that had just slit the wings of his ride.

Starling was fighting Repton. Up in the air, in the dead hours of the morning. Starling was weak, with lack of sleep and rest but had to fight strong.

"Getting tired Interceptor?"

_I can't show weakness. Not to the team, and ESPECIALLY not to my enemy._

"Nope."

Their swords clashed and clanged together but neither was able to shake the other off. Repton realized this Sky Knight was a tough one and wouldn't give up so easily. She had to have a weakness. She had to have one.

He heard Spitz scream.

He looked down, to see him falling to the wastelands. He face palmed himself and looked to the heavens and asked in his head, "_How did I end up with brothers that are such idiots?"_

Starling realized he was off guard and swiped her nunchuks at him. Her nunchuks hit him square in the stomach and he toppled to the edge of his skimmer.

Starling's steps slowly staggered and her vision was growing blurry. She was getting tired of fighting this Raptor but she couldn't give up. This was her terra, her squadron, she was their Sky Knight. She wasn't giving up. Not this easily.

She could faintly see Repton's figure at the edge of his skimmer. She had to push him off.

She swiped her nun chucks at him again. This time he caught them and wrenched them out of her hand. Starling gasped in horror. She couldn't win like this, but there was still hope.

She punched at him blindly, but was making good shots. She got him square in the jaw, in the stomach, and on the arm.

Repton was getting tired of this. Even weapon less, the Interceptor wouldn't give up.

He looked down and saw the three other Interceptors surrounding Hoerk and the girl clip his wings.

He muttered to himself, "Nobody clips a Raptor's wings and gets away with it."

"I'm done with your terra Interceptor. But I'm not done with your friends."

The Interceptors may have gotten a few bruises and scrapes but didn't realize they would get the biggest injury yet.

He dove down, and took out his ignited boomerang.

Starling, realizing what he was about to do, yelled, "GUYS LOOK OUT!"

They turned around too late. They were paralyzed on the spot with shock and fear. Repton threw his boomerang and it sliced the Interceptors necks. One, by one.

The boomerang was covered with blood which landed back in Repton's hand.

He deployed his parachute and yelled up to Starling, "Enjoy the show Interceptor!" He enjoyed seeing her pain and agony of seeing her friends go before her eyes. He found her weakness. Love for others.

Starling stood their. Shocked. Tears brimming her eyes.

She yelled out, "NOOOOO!"

She reached out her hand as if wanting to reach down in the wastelands and take her friends back.

She took her ride back to Terra Mesa and sent Repton's to the wastelands.

She looked over the edge of the cliff and yelled, "WHY? FOR ATMOS' SAKE WHY ME?"

She just lay there for an few minutes crying, and crying. She had just lost her family. The family she had spent most of her life with.

She never knew. She never knew that, that would be the last time she talked with Caleb, the last time she would see them smile, the last time she would defeat an enemy with her team. She had lost friends.

She stopped crying. Her team wouldn't want her doing this. She had to be strong. Even in the toughest of times.

Behind her, one last yellow flash made the terra tremble.

She looked back and saw the Dark Ace taking the Raptors away.

Repton yelled, "This will show you to NEVER disobey Cyclonis' orders to surrender a terra!"

The yellow flash hit her home and it went up into flames.

Repton added, "Thanks for your shield Interceptor!"

She peered at the sky and saw it was Caleb's shield.

She looked away. Wiping the tears with it.

She didn't want to leave this terra. It was her home. Used to be their home. Now, it was bursting into flames. She was about to crumple in a heap and die with the terra. She was supposed to be dead with her friends but Repton wanted to see her pain. She wanted to be with her friends.

She could hear a voice in her head say, "Get up. You're not like this Starling. You're stronger than this. Get up, and keep moving."

She realized this was what she had to do. Keep going. Keep moving.

She hopped on her skimmer and drove away. Away from Mesa, away from this place.

She vowed that one day, she would get the shield of the Interceptor's back and restore it to it's proper place. On this terra. On Terra Mesa. The home of the Interceptors. She vowed she would never lose friends again. She would keep her distance from becoming close to anyone. She wouldn't lose friends. Ever. Again.

"Say you'll stick around." Aerrow offered his hand to Starling. She thought about what happened that day.

The Raptors took away her family. Her friends. She was afraid. She had become close to the Storm Hawks. Thought of them as her younger siblings. She was afraid that if she stayed, the Cyclonians would kill them and she would lose friends again.

She was recognized around Atmos as a legendary Interceptor and a lone wolf. She would keep her friendship distant from the Storm Hawks. It would be better for them, and for her.

A lone wolf, she would stay. For better, or for worse.

"Sorry Storm Hawks, not today."

She saw their faces fall. Just like her friends fell to the wastelands.

No matter what happened in her life, even if she joined the Storm Hawks, she would have an Interceptors blood in her. She would be strong, she would stand on hope when she had nothing to stand on. She would kill Repton one day. Just like he did to her family. She would take the last stand. Even if it meant stripping her title as a Sky Knight.

_You are a Sky Knight fighting your battles, the pressure is on, risking your life, saving lives. Brave the calm before the storm. You will stand strong and endure the fight. Stand strong. You are a warrior. You are here to protect. No matter what happens, believe. Believe that everything will be okay. Believe that you will right wrongs and become the victor. Show the Atmos what you are truly made of. Show them why you are a Sky Knight.__

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**Hope you enjoyed! Review REVIEW!**

**~angel~**


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